Conveyer and chute combined with swingably mounted measuring hopper



Sept. 26, 1950 J. E. EAKIN ETAL 2,523,562

` CONVEYER AND CHUTE COMBINED WITH SWINGABLY A MOUNTED MEASURING HOPPER Filed Dec. 6, .1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Attorneys J. E. EAKIN EI'AL CONYEYER AND CHUTE, COMBINED WITH SWINGABLY sept. 2s, 195o MOUNTED HEASURING .HOPPER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1945 Q um A ilo rney:

swf 26, 1950 J. E. l-:AKIN Erm. 2,523,562

coNvEYER AND CHUTE, COMBINED wrm swINGABLY MOUNTED uEAsuRING HoPPEE Filed nec. 6, 194s s sheets-sheet s Inventors Atlorneys Patented Sept. 26, 1950 SWINGABLY MOUNTED HOPPER MEASURING John E. Eakin anczlNelson S., Wallace, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Application December 6, 19.46, serial N0.,7f14,492,

This invention relates to a machine of simple construction and adapted for use especially in connection with consumable food items such as potatoes, apples, onions and similar items normally sold in bags or sacks of predetermined sizes and by thel pound, and has for a primary object to provide a means for dispensinga predetermined quantity of the items into a sack or bag and so that the quantity of the contents may be accurately determined before vthefbag or sack is lled.

Another object of the invention'is to provide a machine of the aforedescrbed character which will greatly simplify and speed up the operation of bagging or sacking' consumable items and which is also adapted for use i-n bagging or sacking such iternsr according to other measurements such as bushels, half-bushels or pechs.

Still a further object of the: invention is to providea machine for. the aforementioned purpose, which is partially power-actuatedand partially manually controlled and by means of which the items to, b e sacked or bagged will be con,- veyed to the. dischargev point or points of the machine. and duringv their travel., be partially cleaned, so. that, a minimum of foreign matter will be dispensed with the items into the bags or sacks. L

Various other objectsf and advantages of the in-V yention will hereinafter become. more fullygapparent from the follcwingdescription ofthe drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein; Y l l Figure 1 is a side eleyational View of a preferred form of themachine,; l Y

Figure 2 is a top. planY View thereof Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional, View taken substantially along aV plane as indicatedI by the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4, is a View partly in side elevation and partly in section of the discharge end of theA ma.- chine and showing one of the hoppers positioned for receiving an, item to be measured;V

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of one of the measuring hoppers, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along a plane asindicated by the line 6-6 of Figure l. f

Referring more specicall-y to the drawings, the dispensing, measuring and bagging machine is designated generally l and includes a frame, designated generally 8. composed of upright. corrner legs 9 which are preferably provided with small wheels or casters il).l at theirlower ends to provide a mobile mounting. for theframe I3,A Each ofthe legs 9, may be formed of .extensibler sec- 4 Claims. (C1.` 226-61) the side walls I3.

tions having. overlapping portions connected by fastenings I I and said legs, adjacentrther lower ends, are` preferably connected by braces. I2. The longitudinally aligned legs 9- are connected at their upper ends by longitudinally disposed upright wall members I3.

Rollers I4 and I5, as seen in Figure 3, are rotatably disposed between the wall members i3 by means ofI stub shafts I5 which projectv from thecends thereof andwhich are journaled in said wall members, adjacent the ends thereof. One of thev stub shafts I6 of the forward roller I4 is provided with a belt pulley Il' which is keyed thereto and.4 disposed outwardly of the adjacent sidewall I'3. An endless conveyer belt I8, preferably formed of mesh wire fabric, is trained over the rollers Ill and I5 and is disposed forV movementV longitudinally of the frame 8 and between A belt I9 is trained over the drive pulley il and over a suitable driving means, not showm so, that the `belt I9 will beV driven in a direction as indicated by the `arrows 2li in Figure 1` for driving the endless conveyor belt I8 in the directionl indicated by the arrows 2l, in Figure 3, or so that the upper night of thevconveyer belt L8 is moving toward the roller i4, which is located at the discharge end of the frame 8. As clearly illustrated in Figure 3, the side walls I3' extend substantially above the upper flight of the conveyor belt I8 to form retaining walls which are disposed insuliciently close proximity to the side` edges of the. belt I8. to prevent the items being conveyed by the upper ight thereof from falling laterally off of said conveyer belt.

As best` seen in Figures 3 and 41, the side walls I3,` adjacentA the discharge end of the frame 8',

` are provided with laterally aligned upwardly projecting extensions 22 and with perpendicular slots 2.3` which extend into said extensions 2.2. A distributing roller 2 4 is. disposed. between the walls I3 and above: and transversely of the endless conveyer I8 and has` restricted shaft portions eX- tending from the ends thereof and journaled in the slots 23. Said shaft. portions 25- are normally retainedv in the lower ends I'of slots 2-3 by expansion springs 26 which are disposed in the slots 23, between. the upper ends thereof and the shaft portions 25, or, more specifically, the bearings 2.1 which are slidably disposedpinthe slots 23 and in which the shaft portions Z5 are journaled. The legs 9- disposed adjacent the discharge end of thev frame Il,` arev provided with brackets 2:8 whichproject from adjacent there upper ends in a direction longitudinally and outwardly of the framevti.- Y

A chute designated generally 29,` comprises an inclined platform 39 having longitudinal slots 3| therein and upstanding side walls 32 normally disposed along the side edges of the platform 30. The platform 3U, adjacent its upper end, is provided with downwardly and outwardly extending supporting arms 33 which are pivotally connected at 34 to the brackets 28 for pivotally mounting the upper, inner end of the chute 29 at the outlet end of the frame 8 and beneath and adjacent the discharge end of the conveyer I8. The side walls 32, adjacent their upper, inner ends, are provided with depending pins 35, as seen in Figure 2, which are journaled in the corners of the platform 30. The walls 32 are also provided adjacent their opposite ends with depending pins 36 for selectively engaging openings 31 in the platform 39 for positioning said side walls either parallel to the side edges of the platform, as illustrated, or at various oblique angles relatively thereto, for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent.

A supporting frame, designated generally 38, includes a pair of substantially upright supporting legs 39 which are adapted to rest upon the supporting surface of the wheels I and the upper ends of which are adapted to support the lower, discharge end of the chute-29. The legs 39 are provided with corresponding outwardly projecting arms 46 and are connected, adjacent their upper ends, by a cross brace 4 I, as seen in Figures 2 and 3. The cross brace 4I is provided with a supporting arm 42, corresponding to the arms 48, which projects outwardly therefrom and which is disposed substantially parallel to and intermediate of the arms 40. The supporting arms 40 and 42 are provided with aligned bearings 43. The supporting arms 40 are braced relatively to the legs 39 by diagonal braces 44 and said legs 39 are also provided with upwardly and inwardly extending diagonal braces 45 which engage the underside of the chute 29, adjacent its pivoted inner edge and which combine with the upper ends of the legs 39 for supporting the chute at an incline, as illustrated in Figure 1.

A hopper, designated generally 46 is mounted between one of the arms 49 and the intermediate arm 42 and a hopper, designated generally 41 is mounted between the other arm 49 and the intermediate arm 42. The hoppers 46 and 41 are identical in construction and a description of the construction of one will therefore suffice for both. Each of said hoppers includes corresponding side walls 48, an outer or front wall 49 and an inner or rear wall 59; said walls being joined or formed 1 portions of the rear wall 50 of each hopper combines with the converging lower portions thereof to form a receptacle 53 when the hopper is disposed with its longitudinal axis in substantially a horizontal plane, as illustrated in full lines in Figure 4.

The converging lower ends of the walls 48, 49 and 50 of each of the hoppers merge with aV tapered discharge spout 54, forming the outlet of the hopper and over which a substantially cylindrical sleeve 55 may be detachably mounted by means of 2, a pin 51 projects outwardly from the outer side wall of each of the hoppers and said pins are journaled in the bearing portions 43 of the arms 40. A pin 58, as seenv in Figure 2, is journaled in the intermediate arm 42 and substantially in alignment with the pin 51 and extends through the adjacent walls 48 and is provided with headed ends disposed on the inner sides thereof, so that said hoppers 46 and 41 are swingably mounted between the arms 40 and 42 and will normally assume a substantially upright position, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

When the hoppers 46 and 41 are disposed as seen in Figures 1 and 3, the wall portions 5| thereof will be disposed across the lower discharge edge of the platform 30 to provide a closure for the discharge end of the chute 29. Assuming that it is desired to bag items such as potatoes, onions or apples, said items 59 are discharged in any suitable manner on to the upper flight of the conveyer I8 which is being driven in the direction indicated by the arrows 2| by the driven belt I9, as previously described. The items 59 will be conveyed by the upper night of the conveyer I8 and between the side walls I3 of the frame 8 toward the chute 29. It will be readily obvious that loose dirt carried by the items 59 will drop through the open mesh wire conveyer I8 and be thus separated from the articles 59. As said articles 59 approach the discharge end of the belt I8 they will engage and pass under the roller 24 and will be thereby spread out over the upper flight of the conveyer I8 and thus distributed substantially uniformly across said upper flight. The springs 26 permit the roller I8 to yield upwardly to accommodate the passage therebeneath of unusually large items 59. The items or articles 59 are discharged from the upper flight of the belt I 8 on to the platform 30 of the chute 29 and between the side walls 32 thereof. The items 59 will be conveyed by gravity down the platform 3l) and toward the hoppers 46 and 41 and in passing thereover additional dirt therefrom may be separated from the items by dropping through the slots 3|. When the hoppers 46 and 41 are in their normal upright positions of Figures 1, 2 and 3, the items 59 will be prevented from being discharged from the chute 29 by the wall portions 5I. However, if the hoppers are raised to horizontal positions, as illustrated in full lines in Figure 4, the items 59 will be discharged from the lower end of the chute 29 into the receptacles 53 of said hoppers. 'I'hese receptacles 53 are sized to contain a' given measurement of the items 59, when filled, so that when the receptacle portions 53 are filled substantially to the level of the top of said portions and assuming that a bag or sack has been positioned over the spout 54 or the sleeve 55 surrounding the spout 54, the hopper can then be swung downwardly to its normal upright position so that the items 59 will be discharged through the spout 54 into the bag or sack, not shown, for filling said contain-er to a particular measurement which may be in bushels or other desired measurements. It will also be readily apparent that during the filling operation the portions 5I will prevent additional items 59 from being discharged from the chute 29.

If it is desired to utilize only one of the hoppers, for example the hopper 46, the side wall 32, remote thereto, is swung inwardly after first raising the pin 36 thereof out of engagement ywith its outer opening 31. Said wall 32 is swung A l inwardly on the pin 35 thereof as a pivot, and a bayonet connection 56. As best seen in Figure the pin36 is thereafter engaged in one of the other openings 31 of the platform 30 and which is disposed adjacent to said wall 32. The wall 32 will then be positioned obliquely to the platform or chute for deilecting the items 59 toward the hopper 46 and away from the hopper 41. Obviously, the other wall 32 could be similarly adjusted for deflecting the items 59 away from the hopper 46 and toward the hopper 41.

The legs '39 and braces 45 are each formed of extensible sections connected by fastenings 60 so that said legs and braces may be extended or retracted for raising or lowering the hoppers 46 and 41 and also for raising or lowering the outer, discharge end of the chute 29 to vary the inclinations thereof and accordingly the rapidity with which the items 59 will be conveyed thereover by gravity and toward the hoppers 46 and 41.

Various modiiications and changes are contemplated and may obviously to resorted to, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a machine for feeding and dispensing articles in predetermined measurements, a driven endless conveyer, a chute disposed beneath and adjacent the discharge end 0f the conveyer to receive articles to be measured therefrom, said chute being declined in a direction away from the conveyer for conveying the articles therealong by gravity, a hopper mounted at the outlet or discharge end of the chute, and means for swingably supporting said hopper relatively to the chute, said hopper being constructed and arranged to normally assume an upright position and having a wall disposed for closing the dise charge end of the chute, said hopper having an outlet, disposed to open downwardly when the hopper is thus disposed, said hopper being swingable to a position substantially at a right angle to its normal position for positioning the outlet thereof in an elevated position and for displacing said wall downwardly for opening the discharge end of the chute to permit the articles contained thereon to be discharged into the hopper, and said hopper having a portion disposed to form a receptacle, when the hopper is in its last mentioned position, to be filled and contain a predetermined quantity of said articles to be thereafter dispensed through said outlet when the hopper is returned to its normal, first mentioned upright position.

2. A machine as in claim l, a frame for supporting said endless conveyer, said chute being pivotally supported adjacent its inner end on said frame, said supporting means for the hopper including a frame having spaced arms between which the hopper is mounted and on which saidV hopper is swingably disposed, said chute being partially supported at an incline by portions of said last mentioned frame, and said last mentioned frame having extensible portions for varying the elevation of the hopper and the incline of the chute.

3. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a driven endless conveyer disposed for movement longitudinally of said frame, a chute pivotally supported by said frame and having one end thereof disposed beneath and adjacent the discharge end of the endless conveyer, said chute comprising a slotted platform and upstanding side walls, a frame unit having portions for supporting said chute at an incline downwardly and away from its pivoted end, and a pair of hoppers disposed side by side and swingably supported in said frame unit and across the outlet end of the chute, said hoppers being normally disposed in an upright position and having portions for closing the discharge end of the chute, when the hoppers are thus disposed, and having downwardly opening outlets, and said hoppers being swingable to positions substantially at right angles to their normal positions for opening the discharge end of the chute, whereby articles conveyed and discharged from the endless conveyer will be discharged from the chute into said hoppers, and said hoppers having portions forming receptacles, when the hoppers are in said last mentioned position, for containing a predetermined quantity of said articles to be discharged from said outlets when the hoppers are returned to their normal, upright positions.

4. A machine as in claim 3, the side walls of said chute being constructed and arranged for angular adjustment relatively to the platform for deecting the articles passing over the platform, toward either of said hoppers.

JOHN E. EAKIN NELSON S. WALLACE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,376,249 Buehler Apr. 26, 1921 1,445,078 Freeman Feb. 13, 1923 1,647,356 Hendry Nov. l, 1927 1,709,139 Radtke Apr. 16, 1929 1,849,256 Trovaton Mar. l5, 1932 2,016,443 Levitre Oct. 8, 1935 2,278,948 Rodli et al Apr. 7, 1942 

